Amon-Ra St. Brown has become one of the most standout receivers in the league, averaging over 10 yards per catch. In addition to his incredible ability to get by his defenders, the Lions offense has been a huge help in setting him up for success.
According to football insights, St. Brown had the highest percentage of targets with LB's in coverage of all receivers in the league in 2022. This seemed to be a favorable matchup for St. Brown, as he put up incredible 2022 numbers. 26% of St. Brown's targets were facing LB's. Shortly behind St. Brown on this list of receivers was JuJu Smith-Schuster with 25.7% of his targets being up against LB's.
A total of 38 targets resulted in St. Brown being primarily covered by LB's. Operating from the slot position, St. Brown demonstrated exceptional proficiency in creating horizontal pressure on the coverage and exploiting gaps within the defensive zones.
Furthermore, this situation not only highlights St. Brown's remarkable aptitude for creating separation and capitalizing on the mismatch but also serves as a testament to QB Jared Goff's exceptional skill in locating St. Brown in his optimal positions. As a result, the relentless pressure on the opposing defense persists, compelling them to adjust to St. Brown's versatile capabilities.
St. Brown is ready for more in the coming season and has laid out his goal of becoming more of a deep threat in 2023. For St. Brown, it's going to be all about speed and his ability to precisely execute on his routes. He is hoping to become more of a threat before getting the ball, getting open more and beating his defender before the ball is even thrown. This will force help over the top and open up the Lion's offense even further.
Wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El believes in St. Brown and is really impressed with his ability to run routes:
“He can get in and out of cuts so easily, like he doesn’t have to give all that extra stuff cause he can just get out of it so fast,” Randle El said recently, via Birkett. “So I just want [him] to just run that smooth route. Like, you don’t have to give any extra at the top of it, just, pop-pop, come on out of it and he’s been doing it in OTAs so that’s been a growth for him. So no extra movement, just get in the route, come out of it because he gets in the route so fast.”
With all that St. Brown has been able to achieve so far, it's quite promising to see him continue working on himself and detailing where he wants to see growth. With some new goals in mind, we may be able to expect to see St. Brown become even more of a threat in the coming season.
